158 MODERN FRUIT MARKETING 



growers shipping to a large market will send away the 

 best fruit they have. Any one that is familiar with the 

 South or with the West, especially California, where 

 many fruits of sub-tropical nature come from, can by 

 walking through the markets of New York, Boston, or 

 Chicago, find better fruit on the markets most any 

 day than he has observed offered for sale in the locali- 

 ties in which the fruit is grown. 



The quality of the fruit in regard to flavor and degree 

 of palatability is frequently much better when the home 

 market is patronized. Fruit requiring long hauls is 

 often picked before it is fully matured, hence does not 

 develop as high a quality when sold in the larger markets, 

 especially is this true of the Southern and Western 

 fruits. Fruits like apples or pears to ship well and 

 carry a long distance must have certain qualities of tex- 

 ture and thickness of skin to enable them to be shipped. 

 This condition is often associated with poor eating or 

 cooking qualities of the fruit itself. So the better va- 

 rieties are grown for the home market ; those which have 

 the better quality and flavor. Many such varieties could 

 not be used for general market fruits because of the in- 

 ability to stand rough handling or long shipments. 



Transportation must also be considered when sending 

 fruit away from home. Arrangements must be provided 

 for the loading and handling of cars, also for the track- 

 age and warehouse space necessary on the selling end 

 of the line. This requires considerable skill. Where a 

 large quantity of fruit is handled the services of a special 

 agent who has made a study of these conditions is re- 

 quired. Where foreign shipments are contemplated, 

 ocean traffic, freight rate, tariffs, etc., must be studied 



